Dangerous Game
by Melissa Treglia
Summary: "He was darker now, more dangerous... and she liked that about him." Nellie Lovett reflects on her relationship with the demon barber. The title song is taken from the 1994 concept album of the Jekyll & Hyde musical. Written back in June 2008.


**Dangerous Game**

by Melissa Treglia

_I feel your fingers brushing my shoulder  
Your tempting touch as it tingles my spine  
Watching your eyes as they invade my soul  
Forbidden pleasures I'm afraid to make mine_

Every once in awhile, when she turned in to sleep at night, she'd hear the door to her bedroom creak open. The floorboards would groan slightly and a body would slide in bed behind her. She knew before his cool, workhewn and calloused hands even brushed against her shoulders that he had chosen to join her rather than remain pacing through the night upstairs.

Tonight was one of those nights. His hands slid down her body to lift her nightgown, leaving her shuddering - but not from fear. No, she looked forward to nights like this.

_At the touch of your hand  
At the sound of your voice  
At the moment your eyes meet mine  
I am out of my mind  
I am out of control  
Full of feelings I can't define_

Did he know exactly what he did to her, the longing that raged within her every time their lips met and bodies intertwined? Surely, he must. She had been fond of him ever since she knew him years ago as the quiet and serene Benjamin Barker.

But that fondness paled in comparison to what she felt for him now. Over a decade spent in prison had hardened the man. He was darker now, more dangerous... and she liked that about him. The times he held one of his razors to her throat not only made her afraid, it excited her.

It was neither terribly sensible nor very practical to permit herself to be in such a position. But then, Nellie Lovett wasn't always a practical and sensible woman.

_It's a sin with no name  
Like a tiger to tame  
And my senses proclaim  
It's a dangerous game_

At times, it vaguely crossed her mind as to what the neighbours would think. She had to laugh at such a fancy; the neighbours would die of shock or run terrified, if they knew she was sleeping with a barber whose customers didn't always return home once they entered his shop.

She knew he was a cold-blooded killer. But, rather than give him up to the authorities like a sensible woman would, she instead destroyed the evidence. Beyond all reason, she loved him. She _**wanted**_ him.

_A darker dream that has no ending  
Something unreal that you want to be true  
A strange romance out of a mystery tale  
The frightened princess doesn't know what to do_

By now, he had removed her nightgown and was exploring the terrain her body presented not with the gentility of a callow mooncalf, but with such a rough neediness that she drew sharp breaths from it. God, how she wanted him!

There was a flash of something in the moonlight streaming through her window - it was his razor. A thrill went up her spine, as he began tracing the flat of the blade along her skin. Once it reached the inside of her thigh, a small portion of her skin was sliced there. She trembled as a feeling of pleasure-pain enveloped her, and the blade was replaced with his cool lips suckling on the wound he'd created.

_Does she just run away?  
Does she risk it and stay?  
Either way, there's no way to win!  
All I know is I'm lost  
And I'm counting the cost  
My emotions are in a spin  
And though no one's to blame  
It's a crime and a shame  
But it's true, all the same  
It's a dangerous game_

She knew he could kill her too. But she let him stay, because he needed her too. He needed her as his accomplice in his crimes, as his landlady and as the occasional release. After 15 years in an Australian penal colony, it was only natural that he'd need a woman so badly. But he didn't love her, she knew. He couldn't love anyone anymore, not even his precious Lucy. His heart had become cold and numb.

She knew all of this. But it never stopped her from loving him. She did the things she did because she loved him.

_No one speaks  
Not one word  
All the words are in our eyes  
Silence speaks  
Loud and clear  
All the words we want to hear_

No words were uttered between them in these moments, as if speech would somehow cast a pall over it. Even despite Nellie normally being the talkative type. She let the digging of her nails into his flesh, the desperate kisses she rained upon him, and the tightening of her legs around his waist do all the speaking for her.

_At the touch of your hand  
At the sound of your voice  
At the moment your eyes meet mine  
I am out of my mind  
I am out of control  
Full of feelings I can't define  
It's a sin with no name  
Like a tiger to tame_

He began thrusting into her in earnest, as if his intention were to batter her with all his years of pent up rage, anguish and longing. She took it, giving him in response the loving touch of a woman. Perhaps not the one woman he wanted, but a woman all the same.

She supposed that, perhaps, she should feel dirty or guilty for allowing herself to be used in such a way. But, she realized, she'd rather be the demon barber's whore than the saintly wife of some boring pillar of society. After all, she'd had enough of that with Albert.

Boring and normal were not things meant for her. They never were.

_And though no one's to blame  
It's a crime and a shame  
And the angels proclaim  
It's a dangerous game  
It's a dangerous game  
Such a dangerous game_

She loosened her grip on him when she finally felt him shudder. He reached his peak after she had. No sooner had the deed been accomplished then he withdrew, both from her body and bedroom, with hardly an acknowledgment at all. Not even so much as a goodnight. But she could live with that, just as she did with the rest of his nature.

She knew the risks loving Sweeney Todd, and she was willing to take them. To her grave, if necessary. If love was a crime, then she'd gladly be sentenced for it.

**_*Fin*_**

* * *

**A/N:** This isn't specifically set in the Sweeney Todd movie-verse but, I have to admit that Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are - visually, at least - what instantly come to mind. Even though, in terms of vocals, I prefer the original 1979 Broadway cast (Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury). And yeah, I can't help but confess to appreciation of the delight that is Johnny Depp.


End file.
